Open Space Institute Protects Over 2,100 Acres on the Shawangunk Ridge

Related

WAWARSING, NY (Aug. 9, 2001)—Today the Open Space Institute (OSI) and its land acquisition affiliate, the Open Space Conservancy (OSC; formerly known as the Beaverkill Conservancy) announced the acquisition of 2,100 acres of mountainous land on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, NY. Acquired in seven separate land transactions over the last eight months,the lands protect a significant swath of the western escarpment of the Shawangunk Ridge adjacent to Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

The largest single parcel, acquired from a Ukrainian civic
organization, was purchased on August 9, and ties together a
longstanding effort to protect a major assemblage adjacent to existing
park and preserve lands. The 1,366-acre Shevchenko parcel lies on the
western boundary of Minnewaska State Park and northeast of the Sam's
Point Dwarf Pine Preserve. The property contains four major streams (the
Little Stony Kill, Mine Hole Hollow Brook, Jumping Brook and the
Disappearing Brook), numerous waterfalls and several hundred acres of
ecologically unique dwarf pitch pine barrens.

The newly protected lands include some of the most scenic lands in
the Shawangunks. The 2,100 acres, located northeast of the Sam's' Point
Preserve (acquired by OSI in 1997), protects a craggy viewpoint known as
Napanoch Point, and two secluded valleys, a portion of the Witch's Hole
and the Mine Hole Hollow. Also protected is a stretch of historic
carriage road built in 1900 known as the Old Smiley Road, and the site
of a former monastery below Sam's Point known as Mt. Don Bosco.

“These acquisitions compliment OSI's longstanding commitment to
protecting ecologically and recreationally important lands in the
Shawangunks,” said Joe Martens, the President of OSI. “These lands will
now be available to the public for passive recreational use, including
hiking and hunting, and will be a key addition to the Minnewaska State
Park Preserve.”

The other lands acquired by OSC include 209 acres owned by the Town
of Wawarsing, a nearly 300-acre parcel owned by a Napanoch resident,
lands of the Catholic Church, and acreage in the area of Stony Kill
Falls. “OSI has made a significant commitment to protecting the natural
beauty of Wawarsing's land and waters, and making them available to the
hunting, fishing and hiking communities,” said Dr. Richard Craft,
Supervisor of the Town of Wawarsing.

The Open Space Conservancy's Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace
Endowment Fund funded six of the seven transactions. The seventh, the
Stony Kill Falls transaction, was made possible with loans from the J.M.
Kaplan Fund and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.

Since 1985, OSI has protected nearly 17,000 acres on and around the
Shawangunk Ridge, including the nearly 4,700 acre Sam's Point Preserve,
the 5,400-acre Lundy Estate, thousands of acres of land in the Southern
Shawangunks between Routes 52 and 17, and important acreage adjacent to
the Mohonk Preserve.

What You Can Do

Donate to support OSI’s work

Become a part of our mission to safeguard at-risk places through your tax-deductible gift.